I had hoped that we would, by now, have been able to announce the next Funding the Future event. We have been working quite hard on this and initially decided to hold it in Leeds. That idea has now been abandoned because we have been unable to find a suitable venue that meets our needs at a price that provides a reasonable likelihood of covering our costs.

As a result, we shifted our attention to Sheffield and have found a potential venue, but we are still negotiating terms, because in my opinion, the world is a very uncertain place at present. I do not wish to pay for up to 600 coffees upfront now, with no right to cancel, if the cost of fuel or rationing makes travelling an impossibility for many in the meantime.

We have indicated to the venue that we are willing to take a risk on room hire, which is the smallest part of the cost, but not with regard to consumables, the cost of which they would not in any case incur if we cancelled because people could not attend.

If we can resolve this issue, then Sheffield on 27th June is the plan. If we cannot, we will have to look again after the summer, though I am not optimistic about that.

I will keep you posted.

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